Funkcja endoprotezy onkologicznej w nawrotowym mięsaku kostno pochodnym dalszego końca kości udowej .

Endoprothesis is the commonly used method of segmental reconstruction after bone tumor resection around knee. To achieve stability after extensive removal of knee structures, hinged endoprostheses are usually being preferred as a limb salvage procedure. Despite advances in diagnostics and preoperative tumor chemotherapy and radiotherapy, as well as meticulous intraoperative preparation, local tumor recurrence is still possible. We analyzed 22 patients with osteosarcoma in distal femur who underwent the knee arthroplasty with modular replacement system between 2002 and 2007. Three of them (two females aged 33 and 44 and one male aged 29) developed local recurrence 7, 9 and 12 months after operation. All of them were offered the amputation or metastatectomy, as well as further chemotherapy, and all refused. Reasons for refusal included disseminated disease, uncertain prognosis of amputation treatment and still good functional outcome despite existing tumor around the prosthesis. Two of the above mentioned patients deceased from disseminated disease 7 and 11 months later, one patient is still being followed 10 months long. Clinical examinations have shown the effective and satisfactory prosthesis functions in reported patients during the whole observation period. We have concluded that limb salvage surgery with implantation of hinged knee endoprosthesis in tumors in distal femur provide satisfactory functional outcome even when local tumor recurrence is found.Endoproteza jest powszechnie używaną metodą segmentalnej rekonstrukcji po resekcji guzów kości w okolicy stawu kolanowego. Dla uzyskania stabilności po rozległym usunięciu struktur stawu kolanowego, protezy zawiasowe są zazwyczaj preferowane jako procedury oszczędzające kończynę. Pomimo zaawansowanej diagnostyki i przedoperacyjnej chemioterapii i radioterapii guza, jak również drobiazgowego śródoperacyjnego preparowania, miejscowa wznowa guza nadal jest możliwa. Przeanalizowaliśmy 22 pacjentów z mięsakiem kostnopochodnym dalszego końca kości udowej, którzy zostali poddani endoprotezoplastyce poresekcyjnej stawu kolanowego z użyciem modularnego systemu pomiędzy 2002r. a 2007r. U trzech z nich (dwie kobiety w wieku 33 i 44 lata i jeden mężczyzna w wieku 29 lat) rozwinęła się miejscowa wznowa 7, 9 i 12 miesięcy po operacji. Zaproponowano im amputację lub resekcję wznowy, jak również dalszą chemioterapię. Wszyscy odmówili. Przyczynami odmowy były: rozsiana choroba nowotworowa, niepewne rokowanie po amputacji i wciąż dobry czynnościowy wynik pomimo istniejącego guza wokół endoprotezy. Dwóch z tych pacjentów zmarło z powodu rozsianego procesu nowotworowego 7 i 11 miesięcy później, a trzeci chory był jeszcze obserwowany przez kolejnych 10 miesięcy. Kliniczna ocena pokazała wydolną i zadawalającą funkcję endoprotezy u opisywanych chorych podczas całego okresu obserwacji. Stwierdziliśmy, że operacje oszczędzające kończynę z wszczepieniem endoprotezy poresekcyjnej, zawiasowej stawu kolanowego w guzach dalszego końca kości udowej przynosi zadawalający wynik czynnościowy nawet kiedy występuje miejscowa wznowa guza

Curious Variables Experiment (CURVE). CCD Photometry of QW Serpentis in Superoutburst and Quiescence

We report extensive photometry of the dwarf nova QW Ser throughout its 2003 February superoutburst till quiescence. During the superoutburst the star displayed clear superhumps with a mean period of Psh = 0.07703(4) days. In the quiescence we observed a double humped wave characterized by a period of P=0.07457(2) days. As both periods obey the Stolz-Schoembs relation with a period excess equal to 3.30+/-0.06% the latter period is interpreted as the orbital period of the binary system.Comment: accepted for publication in A&A, 5 pages, 7 figure

Enhancing the Fresh and Early Age Performances of Portland Cement Pastes via Sol-Gel Silica Coating of Metal Oxides (Bi2O3 and Gd2O3)

Data Availability Statement: The datasets generated and/or analyzed during this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.Copyright © 2023 by the authors. Incorporating metal oxide nanoparticles into cement-based composites delays the hydration process and strength gain of cementitious composites. This study presents an approach toward improving the performance of bismuth oxide (Bi2O3) and gadolinium oxide (Gd2O3) particles in cementitious systems by synthesizing core–shell structures via a sol-gel process. Two types of silica coatings on cementitious pastes with 5% and 10% substitution levels were proposed. The rheology, hydration, and mechanical properties of the pastes were analyzed to determine the relationship between the coating type and nanoparticle concentration. The results indicate that despite the significant disparities in the performance of the resulting material, both methods are appropriate for cement technology applications. Bi2O3’s silica coatings accelerate the hydration process, leading to early strength development in the cement paste. However, due to the coarse particle size of Gd2O3, silica coatings exhibited negligible effects on the early age characteristics of cement pastes.National Science Centre, Poland (project no. 2020/39/D/ST8/00975 (SONATA-16))

Functional Bi2O3/Gd2O3 Silica-Coated Structures for Improvement of Early Age and Radiation Shielding Performance of Cement Pastes

Data Availability Statement: The datasets generated during and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.Copyright © 2024 by the authors. This study presents a new approach towards the production of sol-gel silica-coated Bi2O3/Gd2O3 cement additives towards the improvement of early mechanical performance and radiation attenuation. Two types of silica coatings, which varied in synthesis method and morphology, were used to coat Bi2O3/Gd2O3 structures and evaluated as a cement filler in Portland cement pastes. Isothermal calorimetry studies and early strength evaluations confirmed that both proposed coating types can overcome retarded cement hydration process, attributed to Bi2O3 presence, resulting in improved one day compressive strength by 300% and 251% (depending on coating method) when compared to paste containing pristine Bi2O3 and Gd2O3 particles. Moreover, depending on the type of chosen coating type, various rheological performances of cement pastes can be achieved. Thanks to the proposed combination of materials, both gamma-rays and slow neutron attenuation in cement pastes can be simultaneously improved. The introduction of silica coating resulted in an increment of the gamma-ray and neutron shielding thanks to the increased probability of radiation interaction. Along with the positive early age effects of the synthesized structures, the 28 day mechanical performance of cement pastes was not suppressed, and was found to be comparable to that of the control specimen. As an outcome, silica-coated structures can be successfully used in radiation-shielding cement-based composites, e.g. with demanding early age performances.National Science Centre of Poland within Project no. 2020/39/D/ST8/00975 (SONATA-16)

Curious Variables Experiment (CURVE). Variable properties of the dwarf nova SS UMi

We report on extensive photometry of the dwarf nova SS Ursae Minoris throughout nine months of 2004. In total, we recorded two superoutbursts and 11 normal outbursts of the star. SS UMi has been known to show frequent superoutbursts with a mean interval of 84.7 days. Our data suggest that the interval between successive superoutbursts lengthened to 197 days, indicating that SS UMi entered a period of untypical behavior manifested by a growth in the quiescent magnitude of the star and a series of frequent, low-amplitude, normal outbursts observed from July to September 2004. The mean superhump period derived for the April 2004 superoutburst of SS UMi is 0.070149(16) days (101.015 min). Combining this value with an earlier orbital period determination, we were able to derive the period excess, which is equal to 3.5 +/- 1.6%, and estimate the mass ratio of the binary system as equal to q=0.16 +/- 0.07. During the entire superoutburst, the period decreased at a rate of $\dot P/P_{\rm sh} = -6.3(1.4) \times 10^{-5}$. However, detailed analysis of the timings of superhump maxima seem to suggest a more complex period change, with a decrease in the period during the first and last stages of the superoutburst but an increase in the middle interval.Comment: 9 pages, 8 figures, in print in Astronomy & Astrophysic

The trace fossil Lepidenteron lewesiensis: a taphonomic window on diversity of Late Cretaceous fishes

The trace fossil Lepidenteron lewesiensis (Mantell 1822) provides an exceptional taphonomic window to diversity of fishes as shown for the Upper Cretaceous of Poland, in the Middle Turonian–Lower Maastrichtian deposits of the Opole Trough, Miechów Trough, Mazury-Podlasie Homocline, and SE part of the Border Synclinorium. Lepidenteron lewesiensis is an unbranched burrow lined with small fish scales and bones, without a constructed wall. It contains scales, vertebrae, and bones of the head belonging to ten taxa of teleostean fishes: two undetermined teleosteans, six undetermined Clupeocephala, one Dercetidae, and one undetermined euteleostean. The preservation of fish remains suggests that fishes were pulled down into the burrow by an animal, probably by eunicid polychaetes.Das Spurenfossil Lepidenteron lewesiensis (Mantell 1822) ermöglicht einen biostratinomischen Einblick in die Diversität von Fischen, wie Fossilmaterial aus der Oberkreide von Polen zeigt. Es stammt aus dem Mittelturonium bis Untermaastrichtium des südöstlichen Abschnittes der Grenz-Synklinale, dem Opolen-Trog, dem Miechów-Trog und der Masuren-Podlachien-Homoklinale. L. lewesiensis ist ein unverzweigter Grabgang ohne ausgekleidete Wände, dessen Ränder von kleinen Fischschuppen und—knochen gebildet werden. Diese setzen sich aus Schuppen, Wirbel und Schädelknochen von zehn Teleostei-Taxa zusammen und zwar aus zwei unbestimmte Teleosteer, sechs unbestimmten Clupeocephala, einem Dercetidae und einem unbestimmten Euteleostei. Die Erhaltung der Fischüberreste deutet darauf hin, dass die Fische von einem Tier, wahrscheinlich einem Polychaeten der Familie Eunicidae, in den Bau gezogen wurden.We are very grateful to Dr. Lionel Cavin (Geneva) and the anonymous reviewer for constructive comments on an earlier version of the manuscript. Additional support was provided by the Jagiellonian University (DS funds), National Science Center (Grant Number: PRO-2011/01/N/ST10/07717), and the Laboratory of Geology (University of Lodz) BSt Grant No. 560/844. We are grateful to Dr. Johann Egger (Wien) and Kilian Eichenseer M.Sc. (Erlangen) for help with translating the abstract into German. We are grateful to Dr. Ursula Göhlich (Wien) for access to the Dercetis specimen

JEMM application in computer assisted exercises

Przeprowadzenie ćwiczeń dowódczo-sztabowych zgodnie z założonymi zagadnieniami, scenariuszem oraz uwarunkowaniami organizacyjnymi i logistycznymi jest poważnym wyzwaniem. Aplikacja JEMM to doskonałe narzędzie pozwalające osiągnąć cele szkoleniowe. Warunkiem koniecznym jest właściwe merytorycznie i strukturalnie przygotowanie bazy danych aplikacji. Szczególnego znaczenia nabiera to w przypadku ćwiczeń wspomaganych komputerowo, gdzie trzeba umiejętnie, gwarantując jedność operacyjną, wykorzystać systemem symulacyjny i JEMM. Moduł wspomagający zarządzanie ćwiczeniem umożliwia synchronizację obu narzędzi. Artykuł zawiera podstawowe procedury związane z powstawaniem scenariusza ćwiczenia dowódczo-sztabowego w JEMM, które zostały zoptymalizowane na bazie ośmioletnich doświadczeń Centrum Symulacji i Komputerowych Gier Wojennych.Conducting command post exercises in line with agreed objectives, operating scenario and available organizational and logistics conditions is a major challenge. JEMM application is the perfect tool to achieve success in this regard. However, in order to do so it needs to prepare a database that meets the requirements contained in the concept preparation and conduct of the exercise. This has special importance in computer assisted exercises, where the combination of the simulation system and JEMM application allows efficient implementation and ongoing management of the project in order to achieve the training objectives. The article presents the basic procedures necessary to properly prepare the JEMM application for the exercise, especially in the initial stages of the database construction. This optimal sequence is based on eight years’ experience of Game War and Simulation Centre